1. Which sentence correctly uses the subjunctive mood?
Solution
Correct: C
The subjunctive mood requires the base form of the verb (be) after expressions of demand, recommendation, or necessity; ‘that he be’ is therefore correct, whereas the other clauses use the indicative ‘was’ where ‘were’ or the base form is required.
2. Select the sentence that contains a dangling participle.
Solution
Correct: A
In option A the participle ‘Walking down the street’ has no logical subject in the main clause; the trees cannot walk, so the modifier dangles. The other options either supply an appropriate subject or rephrase to avoid the problem.
3. Which of the following sentences correctly employs parallel structure?
Solution
Correct: C
Parallel structure demands that items in a series use the same grammatical form; all gerunds (‘hiking, swimming, reading’) satisfy this requirement, whereas infinitive–gerival mixes break the parallelism.
4. Identify the sentence in which the pronoun reference is ambiguous.
Written response required.
Solution
Correct: N/A
Option A contains three instances of ‘he/him’ with no clear antecedent for each, leaving the reader uncertain who will call whom; the other options clarify the speakers and listeners.
5. Which option correctly punctuates a non-restrictive relative clause?
Solution
Correct: B
Non-restrictive clauses add extra information and must be set off by paired commas; only option B correctly places commas before and after the clause.
6. Choose the sentence that demonstrates correct use of the Oxford comma.
Solution
Correct: B
The Oxford (serial) comma appears immediately before the coordinating conjunction in a list of three or more items; option B correctly inserts the comma after ‘oranges’.
7. Which of these sentences correctly uses ‘whom’?
Solution
Correct: A
‘Whom’ is the objective case; in option A it is the object of the preposition ‘to’. In the other clauses ‘who’ is required because the pronouns are subjects (nominative case).
8. Select the sentence that contains a fused (run-on) sentence error.
Solution
Correct: A
Option A joins two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction, creating a fused sentence; the other options use appropriate coordinating conjunctions, semicolons, or periods.
9. Which verb pair correctly fills the blanks? ‘If I ___ you, I ___ the offer.’
Solution
Correct: B
The subjunctive for hypothetical present requires ‘were’ for all persons and ‘would + base verb’; hence ‘If I were … I would refuse’.
10. Identify the sentence that correctly positions an adverb within a verb phrase.
Solution
Correct: D
Adverbs of manner are most idiomatically placed after the direct object or at the end of the clause; option D places ‘quickly’ at the end, avoiding awkward splits of the verb phrase.
11. Which of the following sentences exhibits proper inversion after a negative adverbial?
Solution
Correct: B
After fronted negative adverbials (‘Never’) subject–auxiliary inversion is obligatory; option B correctly inverts ‘have I’.
12. Choose the sentence that correctly uses a colon to introduce a list.
Solution
Correct: B
A colon must be preceded by a complete independent clause; option B supplies the clause ‘She bought the following fruits’ and then introduces the list.
13. Which sentence contains an error in subject–verb agreement?
Solution
Correct: B
‘Committee’ is a collective noun treated as singular in formal English; therefore ‘has’ (option A) is correct, whereas option B uses plural ‘have’ and is the error.
14. Select the option that correctly uses an em-dash for emphasis.
Solution
Correct: B
Em-dashes (—) set off parenthetical elements with no surrounding spaces in formal style; option B uses proper em-dashes.
15. Which relative pronoun fits grammatically? ‘The novel ___ protagonist is a child has won prizes.’
Solution
Correct: B
‘Whose’ is the possessive relative pronoun required to modify ‘protagonist’; the other forms do not indicate possession.
16. Identify the sentence that misuses a semicolon.
Solution
Correct: B
A semicolon cannot join a dependent clause to an independent clause; option B incorrectly places a semicolon after the dependent clause starting with ‘Although’.
17. Which of these demonstrates correct use of the past perfect tense?
Solution
Correct: B
The past perfect (‘had finished’) is used for the earlier of two past actions; option B correctly places ‘had finished’ before the simple past ‘went’.
18. Choose the sentence that avoids a split infinitive.
Written response required.
Solution
Correct: N/A
An infinitive (‘to finish’) should not have an adverb inserted between ‘to’ and the verb; option B places ‘quickly’ after the object, avoiding the split.
19. Which sentence correctly capitalises a title?
Solution
Correct: B
‘President’ is capitalised only when used as a title before a name or in direct address; here it is a common noun, so lowercase, while proper nouns ‘United States’ are capitalised. Option B is correct.
20. Select the sentence that employs correct conditional inversion.
Solution
Correct: A
Inversion in hypothetical conditionals replaces ‘if’ with auxiliary fronting: ‘Were I to know’ is the grammatically correct form.
Discussion & Comments